Terminal board for junction or outlet box



Dec. 9, 1958 E. J. BARINA 2,863,935

TERMINAL BOARD FOR JUNCTION OR OUTLET BOX Filed May 15,-1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 4

- Edward J. Bar/n0 X o lioj 'INV.EN.TOR.

Dec. 9, 1958 EI'J. BARINA 3 5 TERMINAL BOARD FOR JUNCTION 0R OUTLET BOX Filed May 15, 1956 2 sheets-sheet -2 Edward J. Bar/n0 IN VEN TOR.

BY QIM FMI- United States Patent TERMINAL BOARD FOR JUNCTION OR OUTLET BOX Edward J. Barina, Racine, Wis. Application May 15, 1956, Serial No. 584,910

1 Claim. (Cl. 174-59) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in terminal mounting boards for use in junction or outlet boxes for making multiple electrical connections for either single or multiple phase systems requiring any size or shape of junction or terminal box in home or industrial use.

An important object of the invention is to provide a terminal board of insulation material adapted for mounting as an insert in a terminal or outlet box and to which conductor strips are secured and provided with multiple terminals for the solderless connection of multiple wires leading into and out of the box.

Another object is to equip the terminal board with brackets for anchoring in the outlet box by the clamps usually employed inside the box for the conduits.

A further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efficient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a plan view;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on a line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a modified construction;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on a line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a plan view of a further modification;

Figure 7 is a side elevational view thereof; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one of the anchoring brackets.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and first with respect to the construction illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, the numeral 5 designates a sheet of rigid insulation material, such as plastic, fiber or the like, and of square shape with rounded corners. The sheet 5 constitutes a base member of a size adapted for placing inside a correspondingly shaped outlet box of a conventional type (not shown), and the base member is formed with a central opening 6 for wires leading through the base of the box.

A pair of slots 7 are formed parallel to and adjacent the respective side edges of the base member 5 to adjustably receive screws 8 attached to the flange portion 9 of angle brackets 10 to secure the flanges at the underside of the base member 5. Each bracket includes an upstanding flange 11 having notches 12 and 13 at its side edges in which the electric conduits (not shown) entering the sides of the outlet box are secured by the usual conduit clamps and nuts (also not shown).

A pair of brass or other suitable conductor strips 14 and 15 are secured on top of the base member 5 by rivets 16 in a position parallel to and adjacent the remaining edge portions of the latter. A plurality of terminal screws 17 are threaded through the strips as well as through the base member for attaching circuit wires to the strips.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a three phase terminal board wherein a central conductor strip 18 is secured on top of the base member 19 between and parallel to the strips 20 and 21 and each of the strips are provided with a row of the terminal screws 22.

A pair of openings 23 and 24 are formed in the base member at each side of the central strip 13 to receive the wires. Anchoring brackets 25 and 26 are also attached in slots at the side edges of the base member.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate a terminal board 29 of hexagonal shape to conformably fit in a correspondingly shaped outlet box and is provided with angle brackets 30, 31 and 32 at three of the side edges of the base member 29 and each bracket is formed with an opening 33 for attaching to the usual conduit clamps and nuts (not shown). The pair of conductor strips 34 and 35 are shaped to conform to three of the sides of the terminal board and are equipped with a plurality of terminal screws 36 as heretofore described.

The terminal board is mounted inside the junction or outlet box by securing the brackets over the conduit clamps by the clamp nuts formed on the junction box and the live wire is brought into the box in the usual manner and one wire attached to each of the conductor strips by the terminal screws where desired. Additional wiring is added by securing the wires to the conductor strips by the screws and the wires run to their destination.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A terminal board comprising a flat base member of insulation material and polygonal shape for fitting in a junction box, a pair of elongated angle brackets attached to two opposite sides of the base member and having upstanding flanges extending above said base member, a pair of conductor strips secured on top of the base member at the two other sides of said base member, at a right angle to said brackets, said base member having a central opening therein to receive wires leading into said box, said flanges having notches therein above said base member extending inwardly of the flanges from the ends of the flanges for receiving therein conductors in said junction box, said brackets being slidably attached to said base member for adjustment along said two opposite sides of the base member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Oct. 19, 1953 

